Label remover

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a hand held label removal apparatus, which provides a safe and easy removal of otherwise hard to remove labels that are affixed to various types of containers such as carton packaging, plastic products and similar materials. The distinctive features of the device include high productivity, the ability to remove various parts of the label as well as the label in its entirety, is completely safe and ecologically harmless. The invention comprises of a flat grinding circlet or a face mill, which is put in a circular motion by an electric motor. The design of the invention ensures that the area of the label that is being processed is insulated from the outside environment and byproducts formulated as a result of the label removal process are evacuated by the vacuum method such as a standard vacuum cleaner hose connected to a vacuum cleaner.

This is a Divisional Application of prior application Ser. No. 11/129,729 with the assigned examiner Mark Osele of Art Unit 1791.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention Label Remover relates to devices that are used to remove labels that are affixed to various types of containers, all types of paper and carton folders and packages, plastic made products and various other materials.

The necessity for creation and usage of similar devices is derived from the fact that labels on shipping boxes, packages, and various types of folders carry certain sensitive and confidential information such as order numbers, customer and account numbers, asset tag numbers, addresses, telephone numbers and other proprietary information. In the hands of an identity thief, that information can be used with detrimental intent. Consistently escalating popularity of identity theft, fraud and other related crimes necessitate the creation of a device to easily and effectively remove information located on labels that are affixed to various types of objects. The proposed Label Remover provides safe and complete removal of labels from shipping materials, folders and other objects for purposes of security, reusability of materials, as well as removal for replacement of old labels with newer labels that carry updated information.

The patent search results revealed that numerous devices have already been disclosed attempting to addresses issues of this nature. The closest functional matches include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,114,267; 6,158,493; 5,679,210; 5,879,504; 5,993,305; and 7,223,161.

Device listed under U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,267 is used for removal of flat labels. The removal process is carried out fully via manual effort and with the use of a sharpened blade. This device exhibits the following shortcomings:

The practical usage of such device is labor consuming and requires significant manual effort resulting in definitive low productivity.

-   -   The process requires precise amounts of manual pressure to be         exerted on the label's surface which is difficult to control by         manual efforts. Applying more pressure then necessary is likely         to cause damage to the processing surface area. Applying less         pressure then necessary is likely to cause incomplete label         removal.

Devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,993,305 and 7,223,161 contain similar designs for the cutting portion. As the cup structures of these devices is made of somewhat soft and elastic materials or utilize bristles that are pushing against the object's surface, the structure thereof is easily influenced by the means of manual pressure application. This condition results in general inability to allow for controlled penetration depth of the cutting instrument into the object's surface causing high probability of the otherwise unnecessary damage to the surface of the object. This approach makes it nearly impossible to provide controlled depth penetration and effective removal of labels from relatively soft and easily damaged objects such as for instance carton boxes and folders without causing irreversible damage to the surface of an object by so rendering it unusable.

The device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,223,161, utilizes a built in fan as the means of byproduct removal. The fan comes to motion via means of the electric motor, the axis of which hold a cutting instrument. The implementation of the fan into the device leads to unjustifiable complication of the structure, increased mass and size and certainly cost. These can be easily avoided by utilizing some of the more rational and effective methods of byproducts removal such as utilization of an existing vacuum source.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome these and other drawbacks and limitations inherent to prior art by providing a novel Label Remover for safe, easy, and effective removal of labels from various types of boxes, folders and other materials. In addition, the invention can be used for processing and polishing of wooden and plastic materials

The device differentiates itself by providing high productivity, safe removal of the label in its entirety as well as its various parts, is completely safe, and ecologically harmless.

The Label Remover implements a flat circular grinder or a frontal face mill that is put into motion by an electric motor. The design provides for complete isolation of the processing area of the label from the outside environment. Dust particles and byproducts which accumulate throughout the label removing process are evacuated through a vacuum device, such as a vacuum cleaner. The design and electrical layout of the Label Remover is constructed in a way which allows the activation of the device only after proper connectivity to the vacuum source is established. Upon disconnection of the vacuum source from the Label Remover, the device immediately shuts off by so eliminating the possibility of accidental contamination of the surrounding environment with byproducts. Label Remover incorporates a handle which possesses a conic aperture, inside of which a standardized vacuum cleaner hose tip is inserted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the subject matter of the present invention and the various advantages thereof can be realized by reference to the following detailed description in which references are made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of the Label Remover with frontal and side views;

FIG. 2 shows external operative view of the Label Remover on a label affixed to a surface of an object.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

A detailed description of the present invention follows with reference to accompanying drawings in which like elements are indicated by like reference letters and numerals.

The Label Remover shown on FIG. 1 consists of two parts—casing 1 and handle 2, fastened together by screws 3. With the help of handle 2, the Label Remover is initially positioned to travel within the area of the label being processed.

The left side of cylindrically shaped casing 1 holds an electric motor 4, frontal side of which leans on the ledges of the casing, and from the opposite side mounts with rods 5, and screws 6. On the shaft 7 of the electric motor 4, a cutting instrument 8 is attached which consists of an abrasive circle or a frontal face mill. As such, the cutting plane of the instrument 8 must be placed at a fixed distance from the front face of the cylindrical portion of casing 1.

On casing 1, with a minimal allowed gap, a cylindrical cup 9 is placed and mounted on the casing with 2 limitation screws 10 and is under constant actuated pressure from spring 11, the force of which is directed outwards from the case ledges. The length of internal apertures for the limitation screws 10 inside the cylindrical cup 9, allows the cylindrical cup 9 under the influence of spring 11, assume the position in which the flat cutting edge of the instrument 8 is placed inside the cup on predefined distance from the external face 12. This ensures safety with respect to the handling of the Label Remover regardless of the ON or OFF states.

In the event of handle pressure, chosen length of the grooves allows for the exposure of the cutting instrument behind the face plate 12 of the cylindrical cup 9 for the length equal to the thickness of the label or slightly more.

Inside the right part of Casing 1, a rectangular shaped cover 13 is installed. Mounted on the cover 13, are switch 14 and micro switch 15 that are serially connected to an electric motor 4. That layout ensures that the Label Remover will only activate when switch 14 and micro switch 15 are in the ON positions.

Inside the crater of casing 1 on axis 16, a membrane 17 is positioned having hard sides on the perimeter. The Membrane 17 is balanced from one side with a spring actuated trigger and from another, with a spring 19 which is mounted on the inner side of casing 1 with screws 20.

Internal design of the lower handle 2, is constructed in a way which allows for insertion inside it a vacuum hose tip 21, for immediate byproduct removal.

To ensure proper airflow inside casing 1, the Label Remover is equipped with dual side grooves 22. Outside air that is required to enter the Label Remover blows in through apertures 23 located near the external face 12 of the cylindrical cup 9. The air flowing through apertures 23 as well as through the electric motor also creates a cooling effect on the motor, which is particularly important with respect to prolonged usage of the invention.

Switch 14 is used for manual activation of the Label Remover, although activation may also be achieved automatically. In the event of automatic activation, the functions of switch 14 are carried out by a micro switch (not shown on FIG. 1), which is mounted on casing 1 and is activated by movement of the cylindrical cup 9, towards the compression of spring 11.

The choice of the power supply would depend on the type of the electric motor used. The preference is given to the electrical motor, operating from a standard electrical circuit, for instance 120V, 60 Hz. The electric motor with decreasing electrical load, increases the current flow commutated by the micro switch. This requires escalated parameter requirements for the micro switch.

Before activation in home and office environments, the Label Remover should be attached to the vacuum cleaner with a vacuum hose by inserting one end of the vacuum hose inside the conic aperture 21 located at the bottom of the handle. The other end of the vacuum hose will be connected to the vacuum cleaner. With concurrent usage of a number of Label Removers for instance on a mass production and large factories, the use of a centralized vacuum source which is powered from a single powerful compressor is recommended.

With the activation of the vacuum cleaner, the airflow creates an additional pressure on membrane 17. Under the airflow pressure, the membrane goes into motion and causes the activation of the micro switch 18. This allows for the activation of the Label Remover with switch 14. Micro switch 18 is an important electrical current blocking element which eliminates the possibility of accidental operation of the Label Remover without prior connectivity to a vacuum source. This prevents accidental dispersion of paper particles and other byproducts which may form during the label removing process into air and subsequently inside human lungs.

For proper operation of the Label Remover, it is necessary to press the button of the switch 14 (see FIG. 2). For removal of area 26 of label 24, affixed to an Object 25, one has to position the cutting instrument on the given area, press the external face 12 towards the label area identified for removal and apply slight pressure towards the axis of the cylindrical cup 9, overcoming the pressure of spring 11 (FIG. 1).

This action would cause the spinning abrasive ring of the cutting instrument 8 to come into contact with the area of the label identified for removal, effectively removing it from the surface of the carton boxes, folders and various other objects. Moving the Label Removal in multiple directions makes it possible to easily remove the entire label from the surface of an object within seconds.

The shifting of the cylindrical cup 9 is limited by screws 10, which also limit the height of the exposed area of the cutting instrument 8, and subsequently the depth of the removable area. The specified height of the exposure corresponds to the approximate height of the label. This minimizes and/or fully eliminates the damage to the surface of an object to which the label is affixed, allowing for instant reusability of objects such as shipping and packing boxes. Dust and small particles which may form throughout the removal process from paper, carton, wrappings, and plastics are immediately sucked into the vacuum cleaner ensuring complete and instantaneous removal from the surface of the working area thus preventing the dispersion into the surrounding environment.

The suggested Label Remover has the following significant advantages over the devices identified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,114,267; 5,679,210; 6,158,493; 5,993,305; and 7,223,161:

-   -   Possesses significantly higher levels of productivity with         significantly lower probability of damage that may be caused to         the surface of an object to which the label is affixed.     -   Utilizes ecologically harmless removal technology, which         eliminates the possibility of byproducts dissemination into air,         thus preventing health hazards.     -   Feasible for usage in home and office environments, large         storages, warehouses and factories.     -   Easy to use and minimizes the amount of manual effort associated         with the label removal process. 

1. A label remover designed for removal of labels from surfaces made from relatively soft materials such as carton, comprising of a solid cylindrical housing which holds an electric motor with a cutting instrument attached on its axis, and is further comprised of a handle attached to the housing and is distinguishable by: Providing controlled infiltration depth of the cutting instrument that is equal to the thickness of the label or another preset depth; Providing safety measures while handling the device in operational and non-operational state by preventing inadvertent user contact with the cutting instrument; and to accommodate the above encompasses a fully solid cylindrical cup that is attached to the housing and incorporates two symmetrical longitudinal passageways of predefined length, whereas the ends of which are located at a predefined distance from the cup's surface contacting edges, and that further incorporates a cylindrical spring located between the upper portion of the cup and the housing, and that is further comprised of two screws positioned inside the apertures at fixed positions along the longitudinal passageways inside the device's housing whereas when downward manual pressure is applied to the handle, by so overcoming the backward pressure of the spring further causing the screws to press on the lowest points of the longitudinal passageways by so subsequently exposing the cutting instrument beyond the limitations of the solid cylindrical cup's surface contacting edges at a distance equal to the thickness of a given label or another predefined distance, and the solid cylindrical cup simultaneously firmly presses against the object's surface; and whereas when downward manual pressure is discharged from the handle, the backward pressure provided by the spring causes the screws to press against the upper points of the longitudinal passageways subsequently causing the cutting element to become concealed inside the cup.
 2. A label remover as in claim 1, distinguished by, whereas to provide immediate removal of byproducts that accumulate inside the solid cylindrical cup as a result of label removing process as well as to facilitate adequate cooling of the electric motor and to allow connection of a vacuum source such as a standardized vacuum cleaner, the casing comprises internal air passageways allowing for the airflow traveling towards the vacuum hose to provide cooling of the electric motor, and whereas the handle is constructed to utilize a conic shaped internal aperture to allow direct or adaptive connectivity with a standard vacuum hose. 